True Colors
by midnite-thunder
Summary: After the Trio's fourth year, Ron starts to act strangely in the presence of Harry... Something is amiss.
1. A Not So Happy Ending

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. yet.  
  
True Colors - Chapter One - A Not So Happy Ending  
  
It was the day we were boarding the Hogwarts Express for the long trip home, and I was walking to the locomotive with Harry and Ron. Ron had been very quiet lately, I had noticed, and not very friendly either, but I passed it off as him simply not looking forward to being back home. As we climbed the steps of the train, Harry and Ron talked about their plans for the summer.  
  
"Do you think I could stay at your place for the end of the summer?" Harry asked hopefully. "Three months with the Durselys is not exactly my idea of a vacation."  
  
"I don't this you can. We're probably gonna visit Charlie in Romania," Ron responded, but something in his eyes seemed to indicate a hidden reason for his denial. Harry, however, didn't appear to notice.  
  
"Awww. Bummer," was all he said.  
  
By this time we had gotten a seat on the train, and were starting to move. After a few minutes of Ron staring absently out the window and Harry staring absently at Cho Chang, who was sitting across the isle from us, the food cart entered our cabin.  
  
"Sweets anyone?" she inquired with a bright smile smeared across her face. Harry jolted as though he were waking up from a long slumber and wiped some drool from the corner of his mouth.  
  
"Do you want anything, Hermione?" he asked me.  
  
"No thanks. I'm still full from breakfast," I said.  
  
"How 'bout you, Ron?" He poked his friend's shoulder. Ron turned around.  
  
"Yes, but I can buy my own, thank you. I do have some money, you know."  
  
Harry was a little taken aback by this remark, as was I, but he quickly shook it off.  
  
"Nonsense! I don't mind buying it!"  
  
"Well I do!" Ron shouted. "I can buy my own food; I don't need your charity!"  
  
By this time, Ron's face was beet red, and Harry's had a look of astonishment across it.  
  
"One Bertie Bott's and two Chocolate Frogs, please," Ron asked the woman who was staring at him, along with the rest of the car. He exchanged his money for the candy, and she wheeled her cart to the next cabin.  
  
"Sorry, Ron. I didn't mean to upset you," Harry apologized sincerely. Ron merely turned back toward the window and ate his jellybeans, not so much as grimacing when he swallowed a strange-looking greenish-brown one.  
  
For the rest of the trip, Ron either stared, or, rather, scowled, out the window, or slept; both with his arms folded tightly across his chest. When the station finally came into view and the train stopped, everyone gathered their belongings and headed toward the exit. I retrieved my own bags, as well, and headed to the door, being pushed around and squished by the mob of students attempting to squeeze through the train's door.  
  
"What do you think Ron's so angry about?" I asked when Harry and I had safely gotten out of the stampeding horde and Ron's earshot. Harry shrugged.  
  
"I dunno."  
  
We passed through the barrier and sought out our families. I found mine first.  
  
"Well, Harry, see you next year!" I said. "Owl me?"  
  
"Of course. See you in three months!" He flashed me a smile I hadn't seen before as I left. Not wanting to leave without saying goodbye, I turned my head to see if I could spot Ron, but in the crowd it was futile. Slightly depressed, I headed for my family. 


	2. Dreams

Disclaimer: I'll let you know when I own Harry Potter.  
  
True Colors - Chapter Two - Dreams  
  
Summer went by slowly for the first couple of weeks. I hadn't heard from Harry or Ron, so I decided to owl Harry.  
  
"Dear Harry," I wrote. "How are you? I haven't heard from you all summer, so I decided to write. Have you heard from Ron? I hope he's alright; after that incident on the train I'm worried about him. Write me soon. With love, Hermione."  
  
I sealed the letter, gave it to my owl, and watched her until she was out of sight. Then I climbed into bed and stared out the open window at the stars before closing my eyes and letting sleep take me over.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Arms extended, I was flying over the Hogwarts grounds. I soar around the many towers of the stone castle that is my school, peering into classrooms whose windows I pass. The classes are all devoid of students, with it being summer vacation. Slowly, I return my feet to the ground not far from the railroad down which the Hogwarts express will roars at the start of each new school year. I walk the short distance to the train tracks and keel beside them. I trace the cold metal with the back of my hand, surrounded by complete and utter silence.  
  
Suddenly I feel the metal beams vibrate against my knuckles, subtly at first, but increasing dramatically with each passing second. I gaze down the track towards the source of the movement and see, as I expect, the Hogwarts Express speeding across the countryside.  
  
I try to get up and out of the path of the train, but I can't move; it's as if all the muscles in my body have been suddenly removed. The locomotive draws closer and rounds the last turn; I am now facing the train head on. Then the strangest thing happens.  
  
The front of the engine begins to change. The name of the train, painted in elegant white letters, fades away. In their place are two pink cheeks, splattered with freckles. The tip of the train morphs into a familiar nose, slightly flattened. The rest of the front of the train shifts into the face of a human, a face I recognize as that of Ron Weasley.  
  
The train does not slow down. In fact, if anything, it is accelerating. Ron's face laughs a crazed, maniacal laugh; my blood runs cold.  
  
But the most noticeable feature is the eyes. They are not the eyes of the Ron Weasley I have known for the past four years; they seem dark, crazy, even murderous.  
  
Still unable to move, I brace myself, though I know it is futile, for the blow that will come any second. The train grows closer, traveling faster than I had ever seen the Hogwarts Express go.  
  
'Here it comes,' I think to myself. 'Now is when I will die.' Ron's enormous face is inches from my own now, about to crush me much as one would crush a bug.  
  
I sprang up in my bed, sweating profusely and breathing heavily. I looked down at myself and touch my arms, not believing I was alive; the dream had seemed so real. Out the window I could see the full moon, radiating brilliantly on the background of the clear, star-speckled night sky. I laid my head back down on my pillow, and stared at the ceiling a few minutes before slowly closing my eyes and drifting back to sleep. 


	3. A Visitor

Disclaimer: If I had created Harry Potter, you would know my name.  
  
True Colors - Chapter Three - A Visitor  
  
I awoke that morning to a bird chirping on the window next to my bed. I laid there, staring at this marvel of nature. When I sat up, the bird turned its head toward me, chirped once, and flew off into the distance. I looked at the clock on the wall, which read 6:30. I stood up, stretched, and slipped on my warm, fuzzy slippers.  
  
I quietly opened my door and tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen; I was usually the first one awake, especially on Saturdays. I flicked one of the switches on the wall, dimly illuminating the room. I retrieved a box of Cheerios from the pantry, a carton of milk from the refrigerator, and a bowl from the cabinet above the stove. I sat down at the circular table in the center of the kitchen and silently ate my cereal.  
  
Five minutes passed, I the last of my breakfast was eaten. In my robe and slippers I crept upstairs and entered the bathroom for my shower.  
  
Looking through the blurred glass of the window, I noticed that dawn was approaching, casting a ray of light onto the tile. I shed my clothing, stepped into the shower, and turned on the water. The cold water struck my skin like a thousand needles pummeling me, but the water quickly warmed up with an adjustment of the faucet. As I lathered my hair, I wondered when I would receive an owl from either Harry or Ron.  
  
When I was thoroughly cleansed, I turned off the water and reached for the fluffy blue towel that hung on the wall outside the shower. After drying myself, I wrapped the towel around my torso. I silently opened the door and exited the bathroom, heading for my room.  
  
"Good morning, sweetie!" Mom called from downstairs.  
  
"Good morning," I automatically responded. I opened my door and flicked on the light, making obvious the raven-haired boy sitting cross- legged on my bed, a snowy white owl perched atop his shoulder. 


	4. Harry's Tale

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It is only my wishful thinking.  
  
True Colors - Chapter 4 - Harry's Tale  
  
I gaped at the boy who was sitting on my bed, losing all awareness of my lack of clothing.  
  
"What are you doing here?" I said in a loud whisper. Hedwig hooted at me.  
  
"I had to get away from the Dursleys; there were being atrocious after I made this one, teensy mistake."  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"Well, Dudley had a friend from school over at the house, and they thought it would be funny to lock me outside while Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were away at the store getting him a present for something or other. Anyway, I had been locked out for the better part of an hour, and finally got fed up with it. I used the Alohomora charm on the front door, and the two boys just happened to be walking by right when I did.  
  
Because we were technically 5th years now, we were allowed to perform basic spells outside of Hogwarts.  
  
He stood up and began pacing the room.  
  
"Dudley's friend just stared at me while Dudley, the little brat, chanted over and over in an annoying, sing-songy voice, 'you're gonna be in trouble; you're gonna be in trouble!' Then he just had to go call Uncle Vernon and tell him what I had done, though not without adding in a few major details that didn't happen, such as me chasing them around the house trying to turn them into frogs, thus getting me grounded until the end of the summer. I'm not sure how they dealt with Dudley's friend, because after Dudley called his parents, I immediately gathered all of my wizarding things and locked myself in my room. I wouldn't come out, especially after I heard Uncle Vernon slam the door when he got home and bellow at the top of his lungs, "BOY!" For nearly a week I was given only two ham sandwiches a day, and finally I plotted my escape. I gathered all of my belongings in a trunk and cast a weight-reducing spell on it, so that I could carry it with me on my broom. It's outside the window right now, hidden in the bushes. I went to Ron's house first. but." His voice trailed off, and I could tell that something was wrong.  
  
"But what?" I asked him, searching for an answer in his deep, green eyes. "What happened with Ron?"  
  
He sat back down on my bed, and stared at the ground. Finally he said in a low voice, "Well, when I got there, his parents were gone; he said that his dad and Percy were at work, and that his mom had taken Ginny to a friend's house, and the twins went with her to stop by the joke shop on the way back. He wouldn't let me inside and insisted that I should leave. I asked him if I could stay with them for the summer, but he said that I couldn't, as they were going out of town in a few days." He stood up and resumed pacing back and forth, arms grasping each other behind his back. Meanwhile, Hedwig had flown from his shoulder and perched upon one of the posts at the end of my bed.  
  
I sat motionless, silent, as though in a trance until the voice of my forgotten mother pulled me back into reality from just outside my door.  
  
"Hermione?" she called to me, mere meters away. "Are you okay? You've been in there an awfully long time. And was I hearing voices?"  
  
I gasped, realizing that it would not be a good thing if she came into my room now and saw Harry in my room with me, as I noticed, still in my towel, though now almost dry.  
  
"I'm fine, Mom!" I shouted back. "Just trying to find some clean clothes for today!"  
  
"I hung some shirts in your closet only yesterday. And there are some freshly laundered shorts in your bottom drawer!"  
  
"Okay!"  
  
I let out a sigh of relief, and glanced over at Harry, who was hiding in my closet.  
  
"Why don't you wait outside my window for a few minutes while I change, and when I finish you can come to the front door. I'm willing to bet that they would be more inclined to let you stay if you rang the doorbell than if you came through my window without them knowing."  
  
He flashed me a smile and said, "Thanks, Hermione." I smiled back, and he grabbed his Firebolt and hopped out the window onto the broom. Hedwig hooted at me and flew out the window after him. I sighed and opened my closet to find some suitable clothes.  
  
I settled on a crimson red tee shirt and some denim shorts. I peeked toward the window to make sure Harry wasn't watching, not that I suspected him to be, but he was still a boy, after all. He wasn't there, so I dropped my towel and quickly slipped into my clothes. I walked to the window and looked down at the boy who was sitting cross-legged on the grass below.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Harry," I whispered. He looked up and I nodded for him to go ahead and walk around to the front. As he picked up his broom and trunk and headed around the house, I hurried to meet him, praying that my parents would understand.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
My bare feet pattered down the stairs toward my parents in the kitchen, where they sat, eating pancakes Dad had made. I shouted a good morning to them, and, as I did so, the doorbell rang.  
  
"I'll get it!" I called to them. At the door I took a deep breath, knowing what it was going to take to pull this off, and opened the door. Standing just outside was, of course, Harry; Hedwig was perched on a tree branch that hung near the door. I stepped aside for Harry to come in, and shut the door quietly behind Hedwig, who made herself comfortable on a hat rack in the corner.  
  
"Who was at the door, sweetie?" Mom asked, staring at the newspaper, as I walked into the kitchen. Harry snickered at the pet name.  
  
"Uh. well. um." I stammered, but after taking I deep breath I regained my composure. "Harry's here, Mom, and. well, why don't you tell, Harry," I said, turning to him.  
  
I listened as he recounted the very tale he told me only minutes earlier, but minus the part at the end about Ron. I stared at Dad while they both watched Harry telling his story.  
  
"So it would really be nice if we could let Harry stay with us for the summer; he can't go back to the Dursley's after running away like this, and he has nowhere to go."  
  
Both of them looked at each other, as though having an entire conversation without words. After a long while, Mom turned around, smiled at Harry, and said,  
  
"Of course you can stay." 


	5. The Plot Thickens

Well, it's been five long months since I've posted my last chapter, and I'm not sure what I was so busy doing that I could not find time to write it, but over spring break I went to San Antonio [for the UIL Math and Science state meet] and I became so inclined to write it while I was sitting in our hotel room, listening to my music [country, of course!] to drown out the sound of the TV that my roommatetypepeople were watching. Sooo... it is finally HERE!! *does the happy dance...^(^_^)^* I am hoping to finish the sixth chapter really soon, to sorta/kinda/notreally make up for the long and what I'm sure was EXCRUCIATING wait for the fifth! ^^ And then, if I feel up to it, you will get a special tReAt for the seventh chapter. you'll just have to wait and see what it is when I write it! ^^ [For those of you who read my new profile thingy for my pen name, I TOLD you I was hyper!] Well... I'm guessing I've ranted long enough...  
  
Disclaimer: *eyes dart side to side...* Don't tell anyone... but I'm really J.K. Rowling writing in disguise... *eyes widen* shhhh... Promise not to tell O_O ........ *men in white coats appear* NO! Don't take me away!! I'm not crazy! I'm not, I tell you; I'm not!! AAAAaaahhhh...  
  
~Drum roll please...~ and now... the moment you've all been waiting five months and three days for...  
  
True Colors - Chapter Five - The Plot Thickens  
  
It had been four days since Harry moved in with us; he was staying the guest room down the hall from me. My mom adored Harry, and my dad seemed to like him well enough. He didn't dislike him at any rate.  
  
It was almost lunchtime, and we, having just decided on going out to eat, were presented with the question of where. I made the suggestion of Italian food, which was met with general consent, especially by Harry.  
  
"I haven't had Italian food in _ages!_" he exclaimed. "My meals at the Dursley's usually consist of a squashed peanut butter and jelly sandwich being slipped through the crack under the door."  
  
At this my mother frowned and said, "That's just _horrible!_ I suppose we'll just have to go get some then, now won't we?" She got, retrieved her purse, and hurried us out the door into the car, intent on "beating the crowds." So we piled into the car, Harry and me in the back of the minivan, Mom and Dad in the front, and we drove off toward "Garbagio's," our favorite Italian restaurant. I stared out the window at the bright blue sky above and found myself longing for Hogwarts. In the past four years I had spent more time there than at my house, and it had almost become more of a home to me than the building in which I lived during the summer.  
  
We arrived at the restaurant, and were seated by a waiter. He was pretty short, and didn't look very Italian. He had a small, dark moustache coupled with a barely visible stubble of a beard. His eyes were a little closer together than the norm, and his small nose seemed to try to wedge them apart. To tell the truth, he actually looked rather funny.  
  
I looked around the room at all the people. Some were eating spaghetti, some were eating ravioli, and some were eating fettuccini, but they were all steaming tantalizingly and making me _really_ hungry. Finally the waiter came to ask if we were ready to order and was met with a quick "yes" from my father.  
  
"I'll have the fettuccini alfredo," said Dad, and the waiter scribbled on his paper.  
  
"I would like a plate spaghetti and meatballs," requested Mom, and the waiter scribbled some more. I then ordered spaghetti, also, Harry asked for ravioli, and the waiter scurried off to the kitchen.  
  
I hungrily counted the minutes until our food arrived. There were six and three quarters of them. Our food finally arrived, smelling and looking delicious, and we immediately dove in. My spaghetti tasted very good, and Harry made a similar comment on his ravioli.  
  
Upon finishing our meals, Mom asked our waiter for the bill, which was brought shortly. She handed him some money, and we all stood up. We headed for the door when Harry realized ha had forgotten his glasses, so he went back for them while we headed for the car.  
  
At the glass door, I peered through and gasped when I saw the freckle- faced, redheaded boy approaching with his stout mother and little sister. I filled with joy at seeing him, but at the same time I got a troublesome feeling somewhere deep within my heart. It only happened for an instant, however, and I still enthusiastically opened the door and ran to him.  
  
"Ron!" I shouted excitedly. He turned his head, and his eyes lit up when the met mine.  
  
"Hermione!" he yelled back, and we ran to meet each other. "How's your summer been?" he asked, grinning broadly.  
  
"Good, but I kind of miss Hogwarts. I've been reading a book with some really cool spells. You should come over sometime and I'll show you some. It's so cool that fifth years get to practice some simple spells away from school during the summer." Just then I noticed his countenance change from an excited grin to a blank, expressionless stare. I could tell that his sight was focused on something behind me, so turned around to see Harry walking towards us.  
  
"Hi, Ron!" he said with vigor.  
  
"Hello, Harry," Ron responded emotionlessly but for the slightest tinge of vexation. "Imagine, us all running into each other here."  
  
"Actually, Harry is staying with us for the remainder of the summer, since the Dursleys were treating him so horribly."  
  
"Oh, is that so?" he casually remarked, his eyes still locked on Harry. However, I could hear the tension building in his voice and see the anger rising in his eyes. Something wasn't right.  
  
"Yeah," said Harry, seeming not to notice his friend's bitterness. "Why don't you come over sometime so we can all... uh... hang out. Or go somewhere. Or... something... like that." I chuckled to myself at his wonderful articulation.  
  
"No, I think we're gonna be doing... something. I don't think I'll be able to. See ya, Hermione." And with that he walked away towards the restaurant, but I saw him give the back of Harry's head a look of intertwined sadness and anger. Now I _knew_ something serious was wrong. He had seemed so happy to see me, but when Harry showed up, he became so stiff and hardly said anything. He rejected our offer to get together and didn't even say goodbye to Harry. This could only be bad.  
  
"Did you and Ron have a fight or something?" I inquired.  
  
"No, I don't think so. Why do you ask?" My eyes widened at his last remark. Surely, surely, surely! he didn't overlook Ron's intense hostility toward him. He can be such a _blond_ sometimes!  
  
"Hello!" I nearly shouted. "Were you not just standing here with Ron? Did you not notice how... _peeved_ he acted?"  
  
"Well, now that you mention it, he did seem a little annoyed."  
  
"_A little annoyed??_ Harry, did you not see how he was looking at you? If looks could kill, you'd be dead three times over! And not just a little dead; I mean so dead people would see your body and say, 'Yup, he's dead alright. Real dead.' and you would even agree with them if were able to but you wouldn't be able to because you would be so dead that-,"  
  
"All right, Hermione!" He finally stopped me. "That's enough; I get it! But why would he be so mad? I haven't done anything to him that would explain his __supposed look of death.__"  
  
"I was hoping you could tell me..." Suddenly we were interrupted by Mom yelling at us to hurry up. I had been so wrapped up in the recent events that I almost forgot we were standing in the Garbagio's parking lot. "Coming, Mom!" I returned. "Let's go," I said to Harry, and we ran to the car. But all the way home, and for weeks to come, Ron entered my thoughts more times than I cared to count, and I fretted over his behavior and dwelled on what could be its provocation, but you couldn't fill a thimble with all the rational possibilities I contemplated. 


	6. Ron's Violent Side

A/N: Wow! I think this is the fastest I've gotten the next chapter out. It was a lot faster than five months, anyway. ^^ I'm not sure, but this might be the longest chapter yet: eleven pages written. Much better than chapter three, ne?  
  
Disclaimer: Random fact... Did you know that 5,999,999,999 people out of 6,000,000,000 do _not_ own Harry Potter? Given those odds, do you think I do?  
  
And now, without further ado...  
  
-----  
  
True Colors - Chapter Six - Ron's Violent Side  
  
-----  
  
The remainder of the summer passed by quickly and Ron-less, but many times did thoughts of him fill my mind. Despite his physical absence during the summer, I knew that the day would eventually come when we would all meet again on our trip back to Hogwarts.  
  
That day was today.  
  
Today all the Hogwarts students would load the train for the trip back to school, where we would spend the next nine months studying to be better witches and wizards.  
  
So this morning we got up early in order to have time to shower and eat a good breakfast. _I_ finished packing last night, but Harry decided to wait until now to start. I was happy about returning to my school, and I inhaled my scrambled eggs and gulped down my mile, Harry ate his food quickly as well, but so he would have enough time to get all of his belongings together. It had been really fun having him stay with us for the summer, and part of me was sad to see it end.  
  
Minutes passed, and I yelled for Harry to hurry up, or we'd miss the train. He shouted that he was almost done, and about half a minute later he was lugging his suitcase out the door and down the stairs. However, he tripped near the top and fell down, which in turn caused him to drop his luggage, sending it crashing to the floor with him. I feared for him, for it looked to be quite a painful fall, and I asked him if he was hurt. He gave me a thumbs-up from under a pile of clothes, which was such a funny sight that, in that instant, all my fear vanished and I could do nothing to contain my laughter. At this, the heap emitted a grumble and started to shake as Harry arose from within, which only made me laugh harder.  
  
"It's not funny!" he shouted at me. My laughter continued to prohibit speech on my part, so I pointed at the pair of white briefs perched atop his head. His hand moved upward, and when he saw what he was sitting upon his cranium his face blossomed the deepest shade of crimson, and he quickly grabbed them and hid them behind his back, out of my view. Of course, this could only make me laugh harder. I watched through tear- filled eyes as he hurriedly stuffed all of his garments back into the suitcase and dragged it the remaining distance to the car.  
  
We all loaded into the vehicle, and were ready to depart, when Harry gave a huge gasp and shouted, "HEDWIG!" He unbuckled his seatbelt and bolted into the house, returning a few milliseconds later with a squawking Hedwig fluttering furiously in its cage. He wedged the bird into the one remaining opening in the trunk, and then, panting hard, he hopped into the car.  
  
"*Huff* Re-a-dy *puff*" he managed. Dad started the car, pulled out of the driveway, and drove off down the street. I turned in my seat and looked back at the house behind us, and I felt a soft sadness at leaving it. I felt my inertia shift and watched my home vanish around a corner. I swiveled my dead caught Harry looking at me. I felt myself blush slightly, and I quickly turned to look out my window into the cloudy grey sky above. Weather like this has always been my favorite; when it's about to rain and air and water are woven together in a pattern of intricate beauty; how, just before it rains, the air becomes so calm and peaceful. I rolled the car window down and let the car fill with the sweet aroma of rain, which, in my opinion, is the most wonderful smell on Earth. I took a deep breath of the amazingly refreshing mist and exhaled it slowly; it felt magnificent.  
  
"H- Hermione, can you close your window please? It's c-cold outside." The voice came from Harry. I complied, albeit unwillingly. Harry can't seem to appreciate something so simple yet so powerful like the smell of an approaching storm. I let a soft sigh escape and gazed again into the beautiful grey abyss.  
  
--  
  
"Here we are," said Dad, awakening me from me daydream. He stopped the car and turned off the ignition. As we unloaded our luggage, it began to rain ever so softly, droplets lightly sprinkling everything in sight. It was a wondrous sight to behold, but Harry and my parents ran ahead quickly to avoid getting wet. I, however, took my time and slowly pulled my suitcase across the parking lot, enjoying every moment of it. By the time I got there I was quite damp, but my spirits were higher, and it was well worth it.  
  
We traversed the train station speechlessly for the most part until we finally reached platform nine and three quarters.  
  
"Goodbye, Mom; 'bye Dad." I hugged them both. "See you in nine months. I'll be sure to owl you."  
  
"Bye sweetie," Mom said, her eyes watering slightly. "I'll miss you. And goodbye to you to, Harry. Try not to get attacked by any more dark lords, okay, dear?"  
  
He chuckled a little. "I'll try. 'Bye Mrs. Granger, Mr. Granger." I went ahead and ran through the barrier, where I waited for Harry, but a minute passed and he still had not emerged, so I left my suitcase and walked back through the to the other side. Harry was standing there, his back turned to me, so, puzzled, I walked toward him, when I saw...  
  
Ron. He was standing in front of Harry, and Harry was futilely attempting to start a conversation with him. I thought it to be best for me to make my presence known, so I jovially said, "Hi, Ron!" His eyes brightened faintly as he turned away from Harry and said,  
  
"Hi there, Hermione! How was your summer?"  
  
"It was awesome! Har-" I cut myself off before I could tell him about all the fun things Harry and I did together over the summer, for I feared it would anger him. Unfortunately, I suspected I had failed in my attempt at covering up my would-be faux pas so I quickly said, "I left my luggage on the other side so we should probably hurry up and pass through." I walked briskly through the barrier and emerged on the other side to find that my suitcase was still perfectly intact, even though I had not been overly worried. Next to appear was Ron, who started to head for train already. Aggravated, I shouted at him, "Ron! Will you please wait for Harry? I don't know what's going on between you two, but can't you at least let us all walk up together?"  
  
I saw a flash of anger tinged with shock pass through his eyes, but it faded as soon as it appeared. "I'm just going to go save us some seats. Why don't you come with me, Harry will be able to find us; he *is* the boy who lived, after all." His last comment was said with more than just a hint of sarcasm, and it made the wheels in my head begin to turn rapidly.  
  
Could Ron be jealous of Harry? It was a possibility that I had not considered before, but now that it was made apparent to me it seemed logical.  
  
"Hermione?" His voice startled me, and I was made aware of his presence again.  
  
"Oh, uh, sure. Go ahead," said I skeptically. I didn't believe him for a nanosecond, but I did not want to propagate the dispute. Seconds later, Harry appeared, looking confused. "Ron told me that Seamus was around somewhere and asking Ron about my whereabouts," he told me, "but I looked around and didn't see him anywhere." I had no reason to doubt this, especially after my recent conversation with him, and his sarcastic remark about Harry's fame. I noticed Harry looking around and then he inquired, "Where _is_ Ron, anyway? Shouldn't he be here?"  
  
"Ron went to go 'save us a seat'," I said, putting finger quotes around the last phrase. "Harry, there's something serious going on with Ron." I looked into his eyes and said with the utmost seriousness, "I'm worried about him."  
  
"I agree," he responded, "but I hardly think that we should be discussing it here and now. Let's at least get on the train. Maybe we can ask Ron about it then." I acquiesced, but I highly doubted that we would encounter him on the locomotive; he definitely wanted to get away from Harry, and it seemed as though he wanted me to come with him.  
  
We boarded the train and my suspicion proved true; there was a presence of seats but an absence of Ron. I motioned at one of the seats for us to sit down, but Harry refused. "I'm going to go find Ron. He's not getting away from me that easily. Will you take my suitcase?" I assented, but on the air I smelled a dangerous, black trouble.  
  
After taking care of our luggage, I sat down and waited for Harry and, hopefully, Ron. A few minutes later the train started; and, shortly after, the car door abruptly slid open; and Harry entered, pulling a struggling Ron along by the arm. If Ron was already jealous of Harry, I knew that having Harry drag him into the car would *definitely* not heal those envious feelings.  
  
"Unhand me!" he shouted, loud enough to attract the attention of the whole car.  
  
"No!" Harry shouted in return. "Sit! Now!" He thrust Ron fiercely into the seat facing mine and sat next to him, blocking his exit. Against my better judgment, I stretched my legs across the seats to further blockade him. Perhaps it was more that I wanted him to be with us than that I wanted to talk to him about his problem.  
  
"Ron, we just want to know what's going on with you," I began hesitantly. "You've been acting very strangely as of late, and we're both worried." Ron only sat scowling in his little corner. "Will you please talk to us?"  
  
"Ron?" tried Harry after a while. Suddenly, Ron sprang up from his seat and shouted, "_Stupefy!_" sending a bolt of light at Harry, which temporarily stunned him. Having done this, he ran out of the car.  
  
Harry eventually regained control of his senses, and immediately jumped up and asked which way Ron went. I jerked him firmly back down into his seat.  
  
"I don't think you should confront him, Harry; it'll only make matters worse." He grumbled a little, but I felt his anger subside a bit. I sighed a sigh of relief, and leaned back in my chair.  
  
For the rest of the ride to Hogwarts Harry didn't say two words to anyone, and I, as I'm sure he did, too, spent the entire time thinking of Ron and his sudden outbreak of violence and, more importantly, the cause. If Ron were indeed jealous, as I convinced myself of further throughout the train ride, it would perfectly explain his strange behavior. The only thing that left me clueless was a solution. 


End file.
